Introduced:   1918, Paul, UK
Class:  Hybrid Bracteata
Zones:  6-11
Parentage:  'Rosa bracteata' x 'double yellow Tea Rose'
Flowers:  Soft yellow; five petals, 5" wide
Size:  Twenty feet or more
Fragrance:  Good
Of note:  Extremely tolerant of indifferent growing conditions.

'Mermaid' is a rose for special situations.  Growth habit is aggressive to say the least.  Growing easily to at least twenty feet, 'Mermaid' is useful for covering large expanses of space, for example, an unsightly brushpile.  It would also be useful as a hedgerow bordering a property line.  This rose is most definitely not for the faint of heart, as like Wisteria, it's shear vigor will overwhelm anything that gets in its way.  Attempting to prune to a smaller size is not recommended as it will spring forth immediately with aggressive new growth, and the thorns are nasty, hooked affairs.

If you do have some wide open spaces which could be a home for 'Mermaid,' the rewards of growing this plant are significant.  Large, lovely pale yellow blooms cover the plant heavily in spring, and smaller flushes repeat throughout the remainder of the season.  Foliage is glossy, dark green, and disease resistant; further, 'Mermaid' is evergreen in mild climates.  Tolerant of adverse conditions, 'Mermaid' will prosper in poor soil with no fuss or bother.  'Mermaid' is recommended for zones 6 through 9.

'Mermaid's' parent is the 'Macartney Rose', Rosa bracteata.  Rosa bracteata is often confused with the 'Cherokee Rose', Rosa laevigata.  Both are species roses which have naturalized in the South.   However, Cherokee Rose blooms once in early spring, whereas Rosa bracteata flowers in late spring with smaller repeats throughout the rest of summer.